AFP, ATHENS: Around 50 migrants were rescued after their boat ran aground Friday off Greece’s southwest coast, police said, after an uptick in arrivals.
The group was found off the town of Methoni on the Peloponnese peninsula, stranded on a chain of rocky islets. They have since been taken to Methoni to be processed and identified, according to harbour police.
Authorities will be eager to determine the group’s route, which deviated from Aegean Sea route typically followed by migrants crossing from Turkey to Greece.
Between Thursday and Friday morning, 261 new arrivals were registered on the Aegean islands—mainly Lesbos—an increase on recent days, according to the SOMP agency which is coordinating Greece’s response to the migrant crisis.
The number of new arrivals is however considerably lower than the peak of last summer when an average of 100 migrants were arriving daily.
The influx has declined dramatically following a controversial EU-Turkey deal in March.